Abstract
We retrospectively studied 56 patients who underwent thoracoscopy under local anesthesia at our institution from 2006 to 2011, in order to evaluate the preoperative performance status and peri- and postoperative complications. Thirty-four patients underwent examination including biopsy, 20 patients underwent curettage for empyema, and 2 patients underwent lung fistula treatment. Regarding the preoperative performance status, 24 patients (43%) had scores from 2 to 4. Acute empyema was the most common cause of a poor performance status (10 cases, 42%), while empyema was seen in about 70%of patients. A definitive diagnosis was obtained in 90%. Postoperative complications involved only one patient (1.7%) who suffered from pneumothorax. Our review indicated that thoracoscopy under local anesthesia is a safe procedure for the examination of or therapy for high-risk patients with empyema or pneumothorax.
